Psychosis is a mental health problem which effects a person’s mind and the way they think, feel and behave. Similarly, to Schizophrenia, the sufferer may be unable to distinguish between reality and their imagination. Delusions and hallucinations are the two main symptoms of psychosis.
Strictly speaking, psychosis isn’t a condition, but is triggered by other conditions such as:
- Parkinson’s disease; especially an early onset of Parkinson’s disease can be displayed as psychosis
- Drugs and alcohol; addictions or misuse developed prior to or at university can lead to the development of psychosis
- Psychological causes
- Other medical conditions
- Side effects of some medication
Symptoms may be recognised by you in a meeting or by other staff during teaching sessions, or by other students during the time spent with an individual outside of contact hours at university. Symptoms of psychosis include:
- Constant or rapid speech.
- Seemingly random speech content e.g. changing topic half way through a sentence.
- Their line of thought might stop – causing an abrupt pause in an activity or conversation.
- Paranoid delusion, such as seeing imaginary people, animals, or shapes / colours.
- Hear voices that are angry, unpleasant, or sarcastic.
- Can usually smell a strange or unpleasant smell.
- Sometimes have an unpleasant taste in their mouth.
Should a student should come to you with concerns or showing signs of psychosis, remain calm and process the information carefully. Remember that the student will be feeling nervous and possibly disorientated while speaking to you. If possible, gather information about how long the student has been feeling like this. Also make enquiries of colleagues to find out if anyone else has notices any changes in behaviour and examine their academic record – attendance, assignment marks. Contact the Wellbeing team about this student and make sure that you debrief to a colleague afterwards to ensure that you have processed the situation.